Hill Ornithology Collection
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About this collection
This digital collection contains two hundred scanned images from books and prints held by the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The materials in this collection represent a small percentage of Cornell University Library's historical ornithology collections. The materials in this digital collection were selected in 1999 for an exhibit curated by Jeanne A. White.
Historical context
The art of portraying birds accurately and attractively developed along with the growth of scientific data. Detailed written reports were brought to life through the careful, colorful work of the bird artist. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, artists paid particular attention to painting the exact details of beak, foot and feather, with little thought of adding appropriate background or animation. Stuffed specimens were the models, resulting in stiff portraits. Engraving on metal or wood was the chief technique available for the publication of an artist's work until the invention of lithography in the early 1800s opened the door to a new freedom of style. The era from 1830 to the end of the century saw the publication of superb hand-colored volumes on ornithology — books that have never been excelled, even with today's impressive photographic techniques.
The contrast in artists' styles reflects the two schools of bird art that vied with each other throughout the period. One, the "museum school" of zoological draftsmen, was concerned mainly with precision in recording the details of the birds' characteristics. The other, the "bird artist school," was interested in adding more lifelike characteristics, natural settings, and sketches of nests, eggs, and young to the detailed picture of the bird itself.
Using the collection
Bird species are identified in the Subject field. On an individual item record, subjects are hyperlinked so users can discover additional similar items.
For more information about this collection, contact the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at rareref@cornell.edu.
More information
- Collection steward
- Katherine Reagan, Ernest Stern Curator, Rare Books & Manuscripts
- Metadata creation
- Cornell University Library
- Funding
- Kenneth E. and Dorothy V. Hill
- Credits
- This collection overview was developing using text from the original exhibit and last reviewed in 2025.
- Collection sources
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- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
- Exhibits featuring items from this collection